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Posada el Refugio was the inspiration of Alfonso Arjona Zetina originally from Yucatan who purchased an empty lot 1-block long and a half of a block wide at the North end of Bacalar.

It opened in 1979 with a house and 5 rooms for rent with a commitment to provide travelers with comfortable and budget- friendly lodging.

The arched entryway greeted new guests with many plans for developing the rest of the spacious terrain.

In 80/ 81 at Canal de las Piratas, Alfonso constructed a small edifice in hopes of making it a restaurant. Due to environmental issues, the project fell through, but to this day it's one of the stops on any local boat tour.

 

In 1982 the Mirador was constructed for panoramic views of the lagoon of seven colors.

The proceeding decade the original rooms were leveled as other cabins were built, a restaurant opened, and a palapa crowned another part of the space.

In the 90’s four central cabins were built and stood there until one August day some 15 years later.

 

2003 Alfonso died at 75 after years of suffering a terminal illness.

At 44 years of age, his son Nico took over the reins after moving from Veracruz with his (now ex-) wife and (now eldest) child.

 

August 21 2007 the strongest tropical cyclone of the Atlantic hurricane season struck- Hurricane Dean. It was the first to make landfall in the Atlantic basin at Category 5 intensity since Andrew in 1992.

The landfall was in a sparsely populated area hence far less damaging than Andrew's, even though Dean was a great deal larger. Amongst thousands of casualties, Posada el Refugio was milled thoroughly- even the four central cabins were gutted and to this day they stand as a reminder.

Dean’s long swath of destruction resulted in its name retirement from the World Meteorological Organization's hurricane naming lists.

 

Fast forward to 2017

 

Earlier this year Posada el Refugio had a long awaited “face-lift”. The property features a section with 7 private rooms, a structure holding 2 cabins and 2 dormitories, a large and small palapa, and a Community kitchen.

The lower level has now been raised with plans for an RV park and campground directly across from the Ecological Park,

 

From Rooms with AC’s and TV’s to shared dorm rooms with real beds, or even tents or hammock space, Posada el Refugio is still friendly to any type of budget.

You can also arrange a boat tour, expeditions to archeological sites, or a day trip to “Zona Libre” by the border with Belize.

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2017 Copyright protected.

No part of the prose may be reproduced in any form

without written permission of the author- E M Kinga Mac. 

 

 

About Posada El Refugio 

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